Staghills Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Staghills Nursery School Top Barn Lane, Newchurch, Rossendale, Lancashire BB4 7UE

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Outcome

Staghills Nursery School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children arrive full of smiles at Staghills Nursery School. They are greeted by kind and caring staff. Children feel happy and relaxed. They know that adults will help and care for them should they become worried or upset.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many children achieve well. Typically, they move on to primary school ready for the next stage of their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children take part in learning activities with gusto. Staff help them to play and investigate in well-equipped classrooms and outdoor areas. Over time, children become independent and resilient learners. Children find their own coats and get themselves ready to go outside. They proudly showed inspectors the new skills they have learned.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children behave well. They are familiar with the routines of the school. They learn to share resources and take turns while they play. Many children are able to talk about how they feel. This is because they learn the words to use to express their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Visitors are invited into school to provide children with meaningful real-life experiences. For example, a train driver and a farmer with a tractor. These experiences contribute well to children’s wider development. 3 December 2024

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has undergone numerous challenges since the last inspection. Following a period of turbulence, the school is now in a position of greater stability. There have been many changes in the school. However, the school pays close regard to the impact of these changes on staff’s workload and well-being. Staff report that the school acts positively to help them to manage their workload.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school and governors work together to ensure that the school is developing its educational offer and making improvements. This includes developing the curriculum and positive attendance habits for children and their families in preparation for their next stage of education.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has recently taken decisive action to review and revise its curriculum. Overall, this curriculum thinking is successful. In most areas of learning, the curriculum is organised seamlessly to enable children to build secure knowledge and skills from the beginning of the provision for two-year-old children.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff have benefited from high-quality training in recent times. In the main, staff deliver the curriculum well. However, teaching expertise is occasionally less strong and does not always revisit and reinforce important learning. This means that some children do not deepen their knowledge as well as they could.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school ensures that children with SEND benefit from a wide range of support. Staff use their checks on how well children are learning to identify children’s strengths and next steps. This information is used by staff to tailor learning to children’s needs. This ensures children with SEND can access the curriculum alongside their friends.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children’s early communication and language skills are given the highest priority. Children are immersed in carefully chosen stories and songs. Many staff are strong role models for children. They are highly skilled at engaging children in talk. Staff know that the repetition of key words supports children to learn and remember more.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff skilfully and sensitively teach children the expectations for their behaviour. Two-year- olds learn how to be kind towards others. They understand the importance of looking after equipment and eagerly help to tidy toys away.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is alert to the barriers that prevent some children from attending regularly. It has recently developed procedures to manage attendance and punctuality. Attendance is beginning to improve. However, some children do not attend school as often as they could. This means that they miss out on important learning.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children develop a strong sense of belonging through the school’s personal, social and emotional curriculum. They learn about themselves, their community and the wider world. Children learn about diversity and different families. For example, through stories and celebration events. Children develop an early understanding of fundamental British values, such as rule of the law. They learn that school rules such as ‘kind hands’ and ‘kind feet’ 3 December 2024

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are there to keep them safe. Children learn about the importance of staying healthy. For example, healthy eating and brushing their teeth. These experiences contribute well to children’s broader development and their understanding of the wider world.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 From time to time, teaching does not reinforce and deepen important learning. This hinders some children from learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that it continues to support staff to deliver the curriculum consistently well.  Some children are frequently absent from school. This hinders their learning. The school should ensure it identifies any concerns around attendance effectively. It should continue to work with families to promote regular attendance, so that children do not miss learning and are well prepared for the expectations at primary school.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in September 2014. 3 December 2024

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 3 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Linzi Richardson

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School details

Headteacher Andrea Cooper (executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision for children.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school provides some places for two-year-olds in a dedicated classroom. Some staff in that class are from Early Years Centre At Staghills, which is located on site and separately registered with Ofsted.  Since the previous inspection, the school has collaborated with another local nursery school. An executive headteacher is responsible for both schools.  The executive headteacher took up post in June 2024.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 3 December 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and with other school leaders. The lead inspector also met with governors, including the chair of governors, and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors visited classrooms and the outside area. They spoke with staff and considered a range of curriculum documentation.  Inspectors spoke with children and observed their behaviour as they played in the nursery. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors reviewed documentation, which included leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documentation relating to children’s attendance.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors met with parents and carers during the inspection. They took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also considered parental letters sent for their attention.

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Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Corfield Ofsted Inspector 3 December 2024

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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